Staff bloggers

The Mayport ferry is getting $3 million in federal for improvements. See the story with video:

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-07-18/story/mayport_ferry_gets_boost_from_federal_stimulus_funds

We have a lot to be thankful for in the Beaches area.
This week, it’s snakes. Rather, the lack of them. Namely, 15-foot pythons and the occasional anaconda.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson recently sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar in hopes of starting a python hunt in the Everglades. The huge snakes, once kept as “exotic” pets, turned out to be dangerous when they grew up and then their owners let them go. The snakes and their offspring are now lethal menaces in the South Florida national park.
For comparison’s sake, we asked Craig ONeal, a master naturalist who works at Guana Reserve south of Ponte Vedra Beach, to cite the most dangerous snakes we can expect during our forays into Guana and Hanna Park.
“North Florida does not have the constant warm temperatures or really many ideal conditions for these pythons to successively live,” ONeal replied.
“The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is probably the most poisonous snake we have due to the large amount of venom it can release,” he said, “and the same can be said about the water moccasin. Again, both very large snakes. ... The eastern diamondback can strike about three-quarters of its length, i.e. a 5-foot snake can reach over 4 feet. The moccasin is slow and sluggish but can be aggressive.”
OK, so we’re not totally out of the woods when we’re in the woods. But at least we don’t have to anticip-ate being wrapped up by a 15-footer.
If you’re interested, here’s Nelson’s letter to Salazar, followed by a few blogs in response to it:

Dear Secretary Salazar:
As we have discussed, we need to get a grip on pythons invading America’s Everglades. Thus, I would offer two things.
First, I appreciate your input on my bill that would ban the import of Burmese pythons. Many of these dangerous snakes are making their way into the ‘Glades because they are being released by their owners. My legislation would classify pythons as an injurious animal and would prohibit their import and interstate trade.
Passage of this bill would put an end to people importing these things. And, I hope we never again would have to see what we saw in Florida three weeks ago: a toddler strangled to death by a pet python.
Second, when we visited the Everglades recently we heard a variety of ideas for capturing or killing many of the estimated 100,000 or more pythons now roaming the ‘Glades. They are threatening endangered wildlife there - and, Lord forbid, a visitor in the Everglades ever encounters one.
One idea seems particularly promising. Some, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, appear open to an organized hunt. This is not intended in any way to open our national parks to hunting per se. Steps must be taken to protect the Florida Panther and other wildlife.
Instead, the U.S. Park Service, under your direction, would allow for a supervised hunt of pythons by park staff, authorized deputies or agents and volunteers. Given the serious threat from these snakes, I ask that you approve of taking this step.
Sincerely,
Bill Nelson

— I can see why Nelson wants the pythons (Boas and some Anacondas too) to be killed. They are not indigenous, they are giving alligators stiff competition, and they are eating many species like deer that are not used to looking for them.
Posted By: Anthony | July 14, 2009 at 03:20 p.m.

— I’m a member of PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals] and I support killing every single one of those pythons, no exceptions, no relocation. They are killing native animals. Native animals have priority and must be protected.
Posted By: ED | July 14, 2009 at 03:47 p.m.

— Round them up and let them loose in the Senate, I say.
Posted By: JH | July 14, 2009 at 04:05 p.m.

— Now if only Nelson could take on the cobras and rattlesnakes of the health insurance industry.
Posted By: calyban | July 14, 2009 at 04:09 p.m.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 3:20 PM on Wednesday, Jul. 8, 2009

NEPTUNE BEACH - The city will handle its own upgrades to the wastewater treatment facilities in response to state-mandated improvements.

The City Council on Monday voted unanimously to keep its own wastewater treatment facility and spend about $1.5 million to implement a nitrogen removal system that will remove the chemical from the wastewater before it is discharged into the St. Johns River. Neptune Beach had been considering closing its wastewater treatment facility off Forest Avenue and joining Atlantic Beach's as part of the state-ordered improvement to water stations that dump waste into the waterway.

A staff memo recommending Neptune Beach maintain its own wastewater treatment facility stated that joining Atlantic Beach's would be too costly and it "would create rate hikes that Neptune Beach ratepayers could not sustain."

Neptune Beach City Manager Jim Jarboe said there are also limitations to what the Atlantic Beach wastewater treatment system could handle. On a daily basis, Neptune Beach would generate about 550,000 gallons of wastewater.

During a storm, Jarboe said, that level could increase to about 2 million gallons of wastewater in a day and Atlantic Beach could only sustain about a 1-million-gallon-per-day increase.

Atlantic Beach is in the process of designing and preparing to close one of its two wastewater treatment facilities to providing the nitrogen removal upgrades to the other. Ultimately, shutting down one plant will lead all wastewater treatment operations into one location, which will be less expensive, Atlantic Beach City Manager Jim Hanson has said. The northern treatment plant off Mayport Road has a capacity of 1.9 million gallons per day. The Donner Road plant can handle 3 million gallons a day. The Mayport Road facility will eventually be shut down as part of an $11-million project.

Neptune Beach City Council members said they were satisfied in sticking with their own services.

"I think they do a good job out there right now," said Councilman Eric Pardee. "We have to do it. We don't have any choice."

Councilman John Weldon agreed.

"It seems to me we've got a good solution to a bad situation," said Weldon. "I think it's the right way to go."

Mayor Harriet Pruette bemoaned the state-ordered nitrogen removal, which removes the chemical from wastewater before it dumps into the river and depletes the waterway of oxygen, which leads to increased pollution levels. She'd like more local control over the mandate.

In other action, the council gave tentative approval to an ordinance revision designed to crack down on excessive noise in the Margaret Street area and other neighborhoods where parties have gotten out of control.

The measure would allow police officers to ticket residents on a first response instead of the current limitation of initial reports that allow for only warnings. It also calls for stiffer penalties for residents and property owners after the second offense instead of a third violation.

The ordinance revision goes to a final public hearing Monday, Aug. 3.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313

If approved, police could issue a citation on a first visit instead of just a warning.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 12:35 PM on Friday, Jul. 10, 2009

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NEPTUNE BEACH - The City Council is a step closer to toughening noise restrictions following more complaints by Margaret Street residents who are tired of living in one of the city's loudest and rowdiest areas.

The council gave preliminary approval Monday for a noise ordinance that would let police issue a citation on the first visit to a loud party. Presently, police are authorized to issue only a warning for the first violation.

The proposed measure would also send property owners to the city's Code Enforcement Board to face fines of up to $500 following a second, rather than a third, violation of the noise ordinance.

On Aug. 3, the council will hold a public hearing and final vote on the proposal.

Councilman Fred Lee said he likes empowering police to issue citations on a first report of noise. But the "second-strike" rule may be too severe.

This is the second time in five years the city has cracked down on noise, mainly due to the notorious Margaret Street area, which has come to be known as party central.

Much of the current noise ordinance originated after complaints from Margaret Street residents about boisterous parties about a half-decade ago.

"What this [revision] is designed to do is quiet certain sections of the city," said City Manager Jim Jarboe. "People tend to be a little bit rowdy at times. A lot of things happen that should be in the police officer's discretion to give a ticket or not give a ticket."

For example, a man was heard playing an amplified electric guitar in the middle of the street at 3 a.m. on the Fourth of July weekend, Jarboe said. An officer could only warn the man since it was a first response. Jarboe said the overnight guitarist should have been cited and fined on the spot.

Under the proposal, police also have the discretion to not give a citation when called to a house party that just got a little wilder than expected, Jarboe said.

Councilman Eric Pardee said he agreed with empowering police when they respond to noise complaints. But like Lee, Pardee has concerns about hauling property owners before the Code Enforcement Board on a second complaint.

"A lot of time, you're dealing with people [property owners] who don't even live in the state," said Pardee. "It puts a burden on the property owner" who is renting to tenants.

Councilman John Weldon said absentee property owners create a problem when they let renters' noise get out of control.

"We still have a significant problem where homeowners are burdened by inconsiderate and outrageous behavior in some cases," he said. "If the property owners don't take responsibility for their tenants, the problem's never going to be solved."

The disregard for neighbors has become so extreme that renters hosting a party sometimes ask guests to kick in donations to help pay the fines they anticipate when they throw a party, Lee said.

"That to me is just blatant disregard for our community," he said.

There are two kinds of people at issue, Lee said: short-term renters and long-term residents who live in the homes they own.

"We know what doesn't work," Lee said. "We need to get their attention and we need to get it quicker ... In our charter it says we're a residential community. That's what we need to continue to pay attention to."

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313

Hate-filled messages were on a breezeway at St. Ephram's Syriac Catholic Church.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 12:15 PM on Friday, Jul. 10, 2009

• Photos

DREW DIXON/StaffSt. Ephram's Syriac Catholic Church on Kernan Boulevard was vandalized last week and anti-religious messages were spray painted on a breezeway. Related Links

• » See more coverage of religion

Related coverage

» JAIL INMATES: Learn more about everyone arrested in Duval County in the last 31 days
» HOMICIDES DATABASE: Learn more about Duval County's homicides since 2004 in a searchable database.
» First Coast Fugitives
» More crime and public safety coverage

JACKSONVILLE - The clergy and congregation of St. Ephram's Syriac Catholic Church are still rattled by vandals who painted anti-religious messages last week on the outer walls of the house of worship in the Intracoastal West neighborhood.

Statements such as "A pregnant virgin?" along with "You believe in talking snakes," and "666," were spray painted on the walls of a breezeway connecting the sanctuary and community center at 4650 Kernan Blvd. S. July 1 or 2, according to a Jacksonville Sheriff's Office report.

Police have not made any arrests and the case remains open. But church officials say the vandalism frightened the congregation that has grown to about 1,000 people since it opened in 2007.

Wajeeh Demetree, treasurer of the church council, said he doubts the vandalism was the random work of youths frivolously causing trouble. He believes the church was a target of enemies of religion.

"The kind of messages didn't come from a person that looked at religion in passing," said Demetree. "They know something about religion. It doesn't sound like a juvenile act. It's probably a little bit more, unless they were well-informed juveniles."

The church's priest, the Rev. Selwan Taponi, said the church may have been specifically targeted and he's now wondering if the attack on his church is connected to another recent act of vandalism on a Catholic church in Mandarin.

"I believe it's because we are Catholic," Taponi said Wednesday. "Across the street is the Victory [Lutheran] Church. There was nothing there, thank God. But at the same time, it makes me question why us and not them?"

Vandals damaged five religious statues outside St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 11730 Old St. Augustine Road in Mandarin on June 20 or 21. One of its statues, a 7-foot Italian marble figure of St. Patrick worth $28,000, was toppled and destroyed. No messages were spray painted at that church.

A priest at St. Joseph's, the Rev. Dan Cody, said he's not ready to make a connection between the vandalism at his church and the vandalism at St. Ephram's.

"There's no way I'm convinced at this time; there doesn't seem to be a connection. But I don't know," Cody said.

Demetree said he sees the St. Ephram's vandalism as "a hate crime." But it's geared more toward religion in general.

"It's definitely seeing the devil, which has always been an anti-religious symbol," he said. "They had several icons or symbols that, to me, didn't mean anything, but I don't know."

While St. Joseph's is a traditional Roman Catholic Church, St. Ephram's is a rare sect of Catholicism known as Syriac, which is more orthodox and influenced by the Middle East. St. Ephram's offers masses in Syriac, a branch of the Aramaic languages, and Arabic along with a Roman Catholic service on Sunday afternoons.

Demetree said there are only about 200,000 practicing Syriac Catholics in the world and St. Ephram's is the only Syriac Catholic church in the Southern United States that he is aware of. The St. Ephram's building has architecture that is patterned after a Syriac Catholic monastery in northern Iraq, he said, and has hints of post-crusade influences.

Demetree said he'd prefer to focus on helping the criminals if he could.

"It's definitely hate. I would like to see it go but I don't know how to reach out to the people that have all that evil in their heart," Demetree said.

Meanwhile,community groups, such as the Kernan Coalition, which represents about two dozen homeowner associations, have alerted the area to the vandalism and are asking residents to remain vigilant.

Taponi said that's a relief in itself.

"I believe the Kernan people will keep watching the building for us. God will keep watching us. I received so many calls, people were crying," he said.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.

Atlantic Beach mayor touts idea for what to call the area east of the Intracoastal Waterway.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 12:10 PM on Friday, Jul. 10, 2009

An island by any other name may still be an island, but there's a movement under way to officially name the barrier island as San Pablo Island.

For roughly a century, charts and maps have identified the land east of the Intracoastal Waterway from the mouth of the St. Johns River to the St. Johns County line as San Pablo Island.

Now, Atlantic Beach Mayor John Meserve is trying to make the San Pablo Island moniker official as a marketing campaign to distinguish Beaches residents and businesses from the rest of Duval County.

In a letter last month to Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach mayors, Meserve said he's "pretty enthusiastic" about the concept.

Meserve, who is also the executive director of the Fleet Landing retirement community in Atlantic Beach, said his company's marketing staff is researching the use of San Pablo Island in referencing the Beaches in the future on company letterhead, city logos and Internet sites.

He is asking Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach city councils to consider a resolution supporting San Pablo Island as "a descriptor for the location of our communities and the businesses and residences located on this barrier island."

The Neptune Beach council met the proposal with a mix of support and skepticism when Mayor Harriet Pruette introduced the request at Monday's meeting.

Councilman Eric Pardee said he fears that using a distinct name for the barrier island, in whatever form, could end up stoking tensions between Beaches residents and Jacksonville residents.

Those tensions were manifested in the 1990s, when some Beaches residents tried, unsuccessfully, to start Ocean County in a breakaway movement from Duval County. Pardee said it's time to put those old tensions to rest.

Meanwhile,Jacksonville Beach Mayor Fland Sharp said he's warming to the proposal but wants to know more about its purpose before he would formally support it. He also wants the City Council to discuss it. As of Wednesday, no date had been scheduled for that discussion.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.

This story ran in Shorelines on Saturday, June 27:

By MAGGIE FITZROY
maggie.fitzroy@shorelines.com

When 30 kids with family ties to Korea, China, Peru, Venezuela, Cuba, Burma and Africa met two weeks ago at Fletcher Middle School, they were strangers.
When they leave today, after attending a Children’s International Summer Villages residential camp at the school, many will be lifelong friends.
They’ve bunked together in classrooms converted into bedrooms. They ate meals together. And they played games that exercised them socially, emotionally and physically.
The aim was for the kids, who are all 11 years old, to understand other cultures in ways that few kids their age ever could.
“It changes your perspective on things,” said Betty Lu, 17, a junior counselor who was born in China and now lives in Jacksonville.
Since she participated as a camper five years ago, Lu said she’s kept in touch with the friends she made.
“The people you meet are amazing,” she said. “Everyone looks different and are from different countries. But inside, they all want the same goal: love, peace and happiness.”
Children’s International Summer Villages is a volunteer-based nonprofit organization that promotes peace education.
The organization offers several camp programs in the Jacksonville area every summer.
One of the camps is a four-week program for kids from a variety of foreign countries.
Various community organizations nominate campers for the program, said director Susan Gordon.
Guided by a live-in staff of counselors and junior counselors, the kids participated in daily planned activities, including silly games such as “Jungle Fever” Wednesday morning.
They ran around shaking hands, and one person, who was “it,” infected others, causing them to keel over “dead.”
Other activities were more “intense, and serious.”
That afternoon they were slated to participate in a role-playing game that teaches how it feels to be stereotyped.
The kids were to wear signs on their backs, labeling them as “homeless,” or “rock star” or “new immigrant.”
The game features four festive parties, and each kid has to try to join the parties.
Some kids get upset, Gordon said. Some might cry.
“For an 11-year old, it’s hard to understand the world,” she said. “But this way, they feel it.”

Maggie FitzRoy can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6320.

The proposal Atlantic Beach will consider also has a scaled-down price tag.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 1:46 PM on Friday, Jun. 26, 2009

ATLANTIC BEACH - The City Commission heard an update Monday on a proposed new police station that not only would be smaller than original projections, but could cost significantly less.

Police Chief Michael Classey said Architect Design Group of Winter Park, hired by the city in February, conducted a spatial-needs survey for the proposed new headquarters and found Atlantic Beach police would only need about 13,000 square feet of space. That's significantly less than the original estimate of 18,000 square feet by the architectural firm.

In addition to less room, the new facility, if approved by the commission after budget hearings, would cost about $4 million instead of what once was expected to cost about $5.6 million.

While that is a reduction from what Architect Design Group had originally proposed, the new 13,000-square-foot figure is still bigger than what the city originally wanted four years ago.

Previously, the city had estimated the current facility at 800 Seminole Road needed to expand about 2,000 square feet at least from its current size of 5,000 square feet. There had also been consideration for building a new police station at a new location, but that would involve purchasing new land.

The new proposal from Architect Design Group involves constructing the new headquarters on city property just northwest of City Hall, directly west and across a canal from the current police station.

Assistant City Manager David Thompson said the city may not have to pay for the building entirely with city funds.

"We've also got several grant applications that we're taking a look at for this," said Thompson, although he acknowledge such a building would take significant city funds.

To get a better feel for what a new police station might look like, Thompson suggested city commissioners take tours of both the Mount Dora police department in Central Florida and Jacksonville Beach's headquarters to see facilities that would be similar in size.

If the city does continue to go forward with the project, construction design could come within a year and actual work on building the station could be wrapped up by the end of 2011.

In other action, the commission approved an application to seek about $200,000 in federal stimulus funding to help improve the wastewater infrastructure for the Donner subdivision west of Mayport Road.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313

It's losing money, but the JPA hasn't discussed shutting it down, a spokeswoman said.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 10:35 AM on Wednesday, Jul. 1, 2009

MAYPORT - Despite some residents' fears that the financially ailing Mayport ferry could close down, the Jacksonville Port Authority plans to keep it running at least another year, a JPA official said Friday.

Both groups hope the Fourth of July weekend brings lots of ferry riders to Mayport.

Mayport Village Civic Association President Mikki Baldwin expressed fears last week that "it's a very, very real possibility that in just a few months the ferry could be shut down." Baldwin is also a board member for the Mayport Waterfront Partnership.

But JPA spokeswoman Nancy Rubin said Mayport village officials are getting way ahead of themselves and that the JPA board has not discussed ending the ferry service. It's already in the tentative 2009-10 budget to continue funding the service, she said.

"The ferry service will continue," Rubin said Friday. "Until and unless the losses of the ferry interfere with our cargo service, they will continue with operations of the ferry.

"They [JPA board members] understand that this is a community asset and that's why they accepted the responsibility for the ferry service to begin with," Rubin said. The Port Authority took over the ferry in 2007 after Jacksonville had difficulty making it profitable.

Fourth of July is the peak weekend in the busiest months for ridership on the ferry that crosses the St. Johns River between Mayport and Fort George Island.

But ridership has fallen off in the past two years since the JPA assumed ownership of the service and Baldwin said she's worried that if ridership does not improve by Oct. 1, the beginning of the fiscal year, JPA could get rid of the service.

Recent figures show continued decreases in ferry ridership. In April, ridership dropped 17 percent from 28,503 in 2008 to 23,616 riders. For the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 279,057 vehicles used the Mayport ferry compared to 356,015 in fiscal 2007. The cost of riding in a car or truck on the ferry increased from $3.25 to $5 when the authority took it over, leading to much of the decrease in ridership.

Rubin said the losses were to be expected, but it's still an improvement over operations under the city and that the JPA won't give up on the service: "The authority has also lost money on the ferry, about $500,000 in 2008. That is significantly less than the $1 million a year the city was losing."

Waterfront Partnership Chairman Gary Crumley said with continued losses, he's worried that if the ferry goes away, it would financially cripple the village. "That is a bit unsettling," he said.

"There's no incentive for the JPA to run the ferry after Oct. 1," said Baldwin.

Rubin disagreed and said community service is one of the main incentives for the JPA to remain active in the ferry service. But she acknowledged any financial loss is bothersome.

"I think, realistically, any operation that loses $500,000 a year is a concern or worry. ... Is that where the concerns are coming from? Perhaps. I can't speculate on their concerns," she said.

Rubin said the JPA would like to see more riders this weekend.

"Any big weekend or week is certainly welcome and can boost the overall situation for us. You do count on the big holiday times and summer time. We're always looking for an uptick," she said.

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313.

• By Drew Dixon
• Story updated at 2:33 AM on Saturday, Jul. 4, 2009

MAYPORT - Residents of the historic area are feeling relief and skepticism after the Jacksonville Port Authority reached an agreement with Carnival Cruise Lines to continue its use of the current cruise ship terminal west of the Dames Point Bridge.

While the Port Authority agreed to extend the lease for at least two more years, residents and community leaders in Mayport, where the authority wanted to build a $60-million cruise ship terminal, aren't so sure the agency has dropped its plans for the area.

"For two years I suppose they won't be coming here. But after that, who knows?" said David Fisher, former chairman of the Mayport Waterfront Partnership and past president of the Mayport Village Civic Association. "It's a crap shoot, they'll figure out a way to do it."

Current Waterfront Partnership Chairman Gary Crumley said he's relieved that, at least for the time being, Mayport isn't being considered as a cruise ship terminal site.

"I do think it's a positive thing that they [the Port Authority] are considering giving it two more years at the current location so that Carnival can continue to operate here in Jacksonville," Crumley said Tuesday. "I also think it's smart business on their part."

Many Mayport residents opposed the Port Authority plan to build a cruise ship terminal in the area. Some feared the large cruise ships and tourists would wreck the quaint atmosphere of the fishing village, which was established in 1562 and encompasses about 80 acres just west of the mouth to the St. Johns River.

Port Authority officials wanted to build a ship terminal in Mayport because it would be more accessible for larger and taller cruise ships that can't sail under the Dames Point Bridge.

The agency spent about $9 million to buy roughly 8 acres of waterfront property in Mayport. That plan was put on hold this year, but Port Authority officials haven't ruled out proposals for a terminal in Mayport in the future.

The new lease deal with Carnival extends the use of the current terminal west of the Dames Point Bridge on the northern bank of the St. Johns River to May 31, 2011. The Port Authority must demolish the cruise terminal to clear the property for construction of a planned Hanjin Shipping cargo terminal.

"I'm skeptical of them leaving Mayport alone," said Fisher. "They made a pretty big investment out here. We're going to fight them tooth and nail."

The Mayport Village Civic Association filed a lawsuit against the Port Authority and Jacksonville last year seeking an injunction to block a terminal in Mayport. Fisher said the association will continue that litigation despite the two-year lease extension of the terminal.

Last month, the Waterfront Partnership stepped up efforts to challenge the Port Authority's barbed wire fence and have it removed from about 1,000 feet of property along Ocean Street. Partnership board members say the fence creates an eyesore.

Port authority officials counter that the fence is necessary for liability reasons and that all port property is technically a "seaport" and is required by federal rules to have protective fencing.

"Unless they [the Port Authority] can find someplace else and sell the property, they're business people, they're not going to abandon it," Fisher said. "We're not real pleased about the whole turn of events; we've been lied to for a long time. I don't think there's anybody in the village who would like to see it come unless they have property down there and they want to sell it and they can make a whole lot of money."

No matter what happens with the cruise ship terminal, Crumley said he and others are steaming ahead with proposals to turn Mayport into a vibrant enclave, with or without cruise ships.

"As to the future of Mayport village, I think we've still got some great potential there and we're continuing to develop projects that we're working on," said Crumley. "I remain optimistic over the next two years that we will find a way to work things out and the lawsuit will eventually play out."

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313